When using an apparatus or a device, a user may input symbols including characters and numerals for various purposes such as address input or name input. For instance, an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a multifunction peripheral, a printer, a FAX apparatus is equipped with a symbol input device for accepting input of symbols (for example, an operation panel). In addition, for example, an electronics device such as a mobile phone is equipped with an input device including a plurality of keys for inputting characters and numerals.
In these apparatuses and devices, the number of keys to be mounted is limited. Therefore, there is a method in which when a key is pressed longer than normal, a display or an input acceptance is performed in a different manner from a case where the key is pressed once normally. Thus, even if the number of keys is limited, ways and methods of input can be increased. For instance, there is known the following technique for long press of key.
Specifically, there is the following electronics device. The device includes a key input device and a display device. In a period while a key is pressed long, display content is periodically (in a circulating manner) switched. The device further includes a specific operation detecting means that detects a specific operation for resetting the display content after the display content is periodically switched by the long press of key, and a control means that set a switching period of the display content by the long press of key to be longer (set a changing speed of displayed characters to be slower) based on a result of detection by the specific operation detecting means. With this structure, it is intended to automatically adjust switch timing of the display content of key input by the long press of key to an appropriate speed for the user.
When pressing a key, an elder person or a person with a handicapped hand or finger may press long unintentionally. For instance, when a symbol such as a character or a numeral is input, the character or the like corresponding to the long-pressed key may be input successively. In this case, it is necessary to perform correction of deleting the symbols accepted successively due to the unintentional long press. There is a problem that the correction of erroneous input due to the unintentional long press causes a mental or physical burden on the elder person or the person with a handicapped hand or finger.
Here, in the above-mentioned electronics device, the switching period of character display in a circulating manner is noted, so as to adjust the switching period to an individual. However, there is still a problem that the above-mentioned conventional electronics device is hard to handle for a person who cannot easily release the key at a timing corresponding to a position of a desired character among characters displayed in a circulating manner by the long press.
In addition, the above-mentioned conventional electronics device is not one in which a time until the long press is recognized (a time to continue to press until recognized to be the long press) is noted. Therefore, this method cannot be applied to an input device in which a character or the like corresponding to the long-pressed key is successively input. In other words, it is not possible to prevent undesired successive input of a symbol such as a character or a numeral due to an unintentional long press. Therefore, it is not possible to support a task of preventing the erroneous input of a symbol due to the unintentional long press.